Fertilizer Ordinance

Public Works

On November 6, 2013, City Council adopted ordinance 1074 establishing regulations on fertilizer applications within the City. All counties and local governments were required by the State to adopt minimum standards for fertilizer use. Satellite Beach, as with most cities within Brevard, elected to adopt more stringent standards to take greater strides towards protecting the lagoon habitat from fertilizer run-off. The complete ordinance can be viewed by clicking here. Highlights of ordinance 1074 are as follows:

* Fertilizer should not be applied during the rainy season from June 1 to September 30 or during the warning period of a significant rain event.

* When fertilizer is applied it should be no closer to a water body than 10 feet. Plantings within this 10 feet are encouraged to be of a "low maintenance" type requiring little to no fertilizer.

* When selecting a general purpose fertilizer for lawns the nitrogen (N) should be at least 50 percent slow release and contain no phosphate (P). The easy way to determine this is by the three numbers on the fertilizer container. An example 6 -12-10, would mean 6 parts nitrogen (N), 12 parts phosphorus (P) and 10 parts potassium (K).

* Grass clippings contain nutrients and pesticides. Therefore, they should never be introduced into the water body either directly or indirectly through storm drains. Always blow your grass clippings back into the yard from streets and sidewalks.